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Showing posts from December, 2021

Bacterial Polysaccharides and Their Research Innovations

  Bacteria  are covered by polysaccharides  at the outer surface   in the form of capsules, glycoproteins ,  or glycolipids.  Such a bacterial sugar coat constitutes the principal antigens in most pathogenic bacteria and plays an important role in host-pathogen interactions. With more understanding of polysaccharide biosynthesis and its interplay with polymer modification and synthesis, scientists have recognized the research potential of polysaccharides  in developing novel antibacterial strategies and novel applications like epidemiological markers.   Bacterial polysaccharides  mainly are carbohydrates like capsular polysaccharides (CPS) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Capsular polysaccharides are highly-hydrated homo- or hetero-polymers that are composed of repeating sugar units joined by glycosidic linkages. They usually are inserted into the cell surface of bacteria by covalent attachments to either phospholipid or lipid-A molecules. Lipo...

The Next Generation Sequencing Advances Liquid Biopsy Companion Diagnostics for Precision Oncology

  The recognition and advancement of precision oncology are heavily attributed  to cancer genomics that can provide cancer molecular information, allowing researchers to tailor treatments and improve the outcome for a spectrum of cancer and other indications. To realize the promise of precision oncology, researchers take efforts to identify and discover relevant biomarkers using genomic profilin g , either for functional, diagnostic, predictive, or prognostic purposes.   The FDA's approval of two companion diagnostics  (CDx)—the Guardant360 CDx assay and the FoundationOne Liquid CDx test in 2020 led the testing of multi-gene mutations and biomarker profiling to a new level. Prior to the approval of these two companion diagnostics that involve a combination of liquid biopsy and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, researchers ha d been stuck with the low meaningful mutation frequency and the difficulty in finding biospecimens with specific mutations.   Tu...